Fiber-cleaning machine.



N0. 828,822. PATEN'I'ED AUG. 14, 1906.

I'. S. MACY. FIBER CLEANING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 0CT.30, 1905.

IIII I FENQANINIIIW w/rA/ESSES: /NVENTOH il FREDERIcK/SMACY f l f jm/W" By y f f2 4'Afro/Mfrs p'nrTEn STATES PATENT orrren.

FREDERICK S. MACY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO WILBURT T. JENKINS, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

FIBER-CLEANING MACHINE.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 14, 1906.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK S. MACY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Improved Fiber- Cleaning Machines, of which thel following is a specification. 4

My invention is an improved machine for treating fibrous plantssuch as Manila hemp, ramie, maguey, sisal, and piafor separating the fibers from the ulpy and gummy portions; and a special object I have had in view is the production of a machine distinguished by simplicity and economyT of construction and rapidity and efficiency in work and operation.

The details of construction, arrangement, and combinationr of parts are hereinafter described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side view of-my improved'machine. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, the spray-pipe being omitted; and Fig.- 3, is a vertical section on the line 3 3 of Fig. l..y

The movable arts of the machine are arranged in a Woo en frame, comprising a hori- Zontal base portion A and a series of airs of vertical posts or standards B B2 a, the members of each pair being arranged opposite transversely and spaced apart to accom- Inodate crushing-rolls and rotary brushes, as

will be understood by reference to the draw- 1 I head and provided wlth pendent spray-pipes ngs.

In the iirst pair of standards B are journaled two large initial crushing-rolls C C. The lower roll C has journals'held in suitable boxing in the base of the standards, while journals c ofthe upper roll C project into and are adapted to slide in vertical slots b, provided in theupper portions ofthe standards. It is apparent that by this construction and arrangement the up er roll C may adjust itselr` vertically accor ing to the quantity and other 'conditions of the fiber plants passing between the rolls. The plants are delivered between the rolls from a table or carrier or by any other means that may be selected.

' An endless traveling belt D, which for convenience will be termed a carrier passes around the lower roll Cand" a small roll C2,

which is journaled in the last series of posts B3 and provided with movable journal-boxes to provide for taking up the slackof the car'-` rier. In the second pair of osts or standards B is arranged a pair o smaller crushing-rolls E', the upper run being arranged for vertical movement like the large roll C. In

the third pair of posts B2Y is similarly arranged a pair o small crushing-.rolls F F. Between initial crushing-rolls C C and the adjacent pair E E is arranged a rotary brush Cr, the same being journaled in the upper free ends of bars H, which are journaled on the axis c of the lower crushing-roll C. Since the arms H are free to oscillate in a vertical plane, it is obvious that the brush G is simiarly free to move vertically. It is rotated in the direction ofthe arrow, Fig. 1, bymeans of a crossed belt I, the same passing around a large pulley J on the aXis of roll C and around a smaller pulley K on the axis of the brush G. Thus the brush is caused to rotate in the same direction as theu perrollC. Asmaller rotary brush Gr is simi arly arranged between the pairs of small crushing-rollsI E E and F F and similarly mounted in oscillating arms H and driven in the same way bye. crossed belt I. A third brush G2, similar in size to the brush Cr, is arranged in rear 'of the last crushing-roll F fournaled in arms H2 and driven by a crossed elt I2. 1

A water-'supply pi e L is arranged over- L L2 L3, which are located, respectively, over of the series and is similarly i and in front of the brushes G, Cf, and Cr?, or, in

other words, at such point that the water discharged therefrom is delivered` upon the crushed ber at points between ther roll C the roll F and brush G2. ing-roll E is driven from the axls c of roll C and brush G, the roll E andbrush G', and f The lower crush-- by an open belt M, (see Fig. 2,) and the lower roll F is similarly driven by an open belt N from the axis of the roll E, while the upper crushing-rolls C', E and F are driven by friction withthe endless carrier D, or rather with the brousplants passing between the rolls.

The operation of the machine as a whole will now be understood as follows: The large IOC roll C being driven in the direction indicated by arrows it is obvious that the endless carrier will be driven so that the upper run will travel from the said roll. Thus the fibrous lplants are carried between the initial crushing-rolls and the succeeding crushin -rolls and beneath'the brushes successively. win to the size and Weight of the roll C', the

fibrous plants are subjected to a heavy crushing effect, so that their bodies, branches, and

stems are crushed and flattened to sucha degree that the initial brushG may act on them.

With great effect-that is to say, the brush G is rotated at ahigh rate of-s eed, so that the pulpy and gummy .parts o? .rapidly brushed away, the vseparation being greatly aided by the'deliveryof the water-l spray thereon previous to andduring the acl.tion of the brush. Theseveral .sets of crushing-rolls should be sufficiently near to yeach other that those in advance may have a hold- L lupon ythe mass offiber. before the latter passes .out fromunder the preceding rolls. Thus .the. free ends of theiibers .picked .up more. or lessl b the brush during .their assageunder it,w 'le the other ends Iare sti l held by the preceding rolls. In. other words; the effect of the ra id rotation ofthe llb rush is to lift up and com out the freeends of the' fibers and. no. l` From .the initial brush G the fiber which has been 4. subjected to the. treatment described "passes between the first pair of smaller ,crush- .,1ng.-rolls and then beneath the succeeding 3 5 brush, where the operation is repeated with a `small'.:discharge of water-spray. The fiber i jfhence asses to and between another pair of rolls F and beneath a succeeding brush G2,

where the .final crushing and cleaning opera. c `tiontakes place. l, 1-propose to. employ any required number of It will be understood that 'crushing-rolls and brushes, the same being 1 .Variedaccording to thenature of the fiber plant to be treated; but the farther theproc-4 4 5. essvadvances the lighter may be the rolls and .the smaller the brushes;

#It isga parent 'that in the progress of the,

.fibr'ouap ants through the machine they are ...subjected to a very heavy. crushing action at 5c;v vtheoutset and .that .the succeeding rollsafter Hthe' first operateuponsmaller portions of the ....,plantsy than Ithe first ones,` or, in other .Words,.

upon'bers which have .been more or less separated and freed of pulp and gum.. "It is 5 5 Lobvous;therefore,that the succeeding rolls, Hafter the first .pammay'be.made compara- .tivelysma-ll an light. .The adaptation of all ,the upper-rolls for vertical movement ,enables t'o accommodate .themselves perfectly to :the mass of fiber, so as to impose a crushing effect thereon at all points, and the adaptation ofthe.brushes. for vertical play or os- .'cillation similarly adapts-'them to` act upon the plants are are necessarily tangling willv occur. y

the fibers with an advantage whichco'uld not be obtained if the brushes were fixed in position.

' It will be seen that the machine is simply and cheaply constructed, while it is operated with great reliability and rapidity, so as to produce a large output of cleaned fiber in a comparatively short time. Itis preferred that the frame be constructed of wood for the purpose of preventing disv coloration of the fiber, which is an objectionable feature in most machines constructed of series, a series. ofrotatable brushes arranged over the carrier and between each pair, of upper f crushingirolls, .arms journaled on the axes of the lower rolls-of each pair and the aforesaid brushes being j ournaled in the uper ends of the same so that the brushes are ee to oscillatevertically,.means for driving the lower -rolls of each pairin the same dlrection, -and the several brushesin an opposite direction, and a water-spray pipe. having pendent portions arranged vto discharge between the brushes and the rolls in front of them, substantially as described.

2. The improved fiber-cleaning machine com rising aframe, a pair of heavy initial crushing-rolls, succeeding -pairs of smaller crushing-rolls, the lower rolls having journals fixed, in the frame and the upper rolls being f adapted to oscillate vertically, an endless carrier whose upper run passes between the crushin -rolls of each-pair, a roitary brush arranged etween the two upperw rolls of adjacent pairs, sup orts for sald brushes which lare free to oscil ate in a vertical plane, and

means for driving thelower crushing-rolls in the same. direction and the brushes in the opposite direction, :substantially as described.

. 3. In avmachine for the purpose specified,

' the combination with a frame, having vertical standards provided in their upper portions with vertical slots, of pairs of crushing-rolls, the lower ones havingtheir. axes journaled at fixed oints in said standar-dsland the upper rolls. aving journals projecting vinto and adapted to .slide easily in the 'slots yof the "standards, an endless carrier whose upper run passes between the rolls of each pair, roytarybrushes arranged between the .upper rolls ofxsucceeding pairs, Varms pivoted upon IOO IIO

the axes of thelowerrolls andthebrushes jourspray-discharge nozzle arranged over the naled in the upper ends of said arms so that brushes and adj aoent to the rolls in front they are free to osoillate vertically, portions thereof, substantially as described.

arrangedon the axes of the lower rolls and FREDERICK S. MACY. crossed belts running thereon and upon Witnesses: smaller portions applied to the axes of the W. A. FELTYBERGER,

brushes, and a Water-supply pipe having a ROSEMAN GARDNER. 

